After more than 18 months of delays, the much heralded first phase of Brazil’s more than Reais 10 billion ($3.36 billion) port concession program received the go-ahead to proceed from the Tribunal de Contas da Uniao.

In an attempt to reduce port bottlenecks, the Narendra Modi-led Indian government has approved a special state-aid scheme for the construction of new infrastructure suitable for handling coastal vessels at publicly owned major ports.

After months of petitioning the Brazilian government, Santos Brasil, South America’s biggest container terminal operator, has received a 25-year concession contract extension for its Tecon Santos facility, Edinho Araujo, the head of Brazil’s Special Ports Ministry (SEP), recently said.

The Ocean Three Alliance of CMA CGM, China Shipping and United Arab Shipping Co. has received U.S. regulatory clearance without the standard 45-day review by the Federal Maritime Commission, but Commissioner Richard Lidinsky isn’t happy about it.

The Chinese government unveiled a six-year plan to develop the nation’s infrastructure and capacity, including a strategy to double the size of the port of Tianjin, in order to boost import and export flows and modernize its domestic supply chain.

The U.S. federal government won’t tell Congress until later this month the results of a controversial pilot program tracking Mexican trucking companies hauling goods across the border, but opponents are already railing against continuing or expanding the initiative.